I’ve seen the first reports of it last week: a 14-year old girl was the latest victim of cyberbullying that ended up in greater tragedy. As heartbreaking and concerning as this news may be to some of us who may be a parent, a member of an organization aiming to protect and educate kids, or someone who happens to know the victims who met a similar fate, there is already that foreboding feeling that this is not the last time we’ll hear about such news. We can only expect the worst, and we can always continue to help parents and adults who look after kids and teens be aware of this danger and get them involved.

Here are a few statistics that cover cyberbullying to date:

California, New York and Illinois are the three states in the US with the highest level of bullying (Source)

90% of teens who use social media witness online cruelty but simply ignore the behavior (Source)

Getting back at someone (58%) is one of the top reasons why teens participate in online bullying (Source)

38% of children who were born with physical disabilities express fear of being bullied (Source)

All forms of bullying are seen as an essential contribution to youth violence, homicide and suicide (Source)

There are thousands of online guides, articles and other materials produced for the sake of ensuring the safety of kids and teens who spend most of their lives online. One notable awareness campaign was an award-winning video documentary called “Submit”, which was created and produced by Les Ottolenghi, an executive who used to work in the software industry. It was made available online on YouTube and Vimeo four months ago.

In an interview with Palo Alto Weekly, Ottolenghi revealed the reason why he produced the film:

“When cyberbullying is mentioned in the news it is usually because a child or teen has committed suicide. It is only when it is sensational that it warrants the headlines, while teens and children are dying every day. The Producers and I wanted to go beyond the headlines. We did not want to further sensationalize the issue. The main goal was to raise awareness and show how cyberbullying affects kids, teens, families, and how everyone else is working to stop it whether they are an expert, psychologist, law enforcement or congressman. I also wanted to make it informational for parents and grandparents, a tool for organizations and educational institutions, and a way to start a dialogue between parents and kids, or teachers and students, and most importantly to let kids know that what they do and say online affects themselves and others.”

Below is the documentary video taken from Vimeo:

Overview of “Submit: The Documentary” courtesy of the PRWeb:

Submit the Documentary exposes the most epic struggle in the digital, Internet age – cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying by means of electronic technology committed through email, instant messaging, mobile applications, social media, chat rooms, and blogs or through messages and images sent through a cell phone. Because of the anonymity, kids who never thought of being a bully are becoming harassers. By exploring the complicated dynamics behind cyberbullying, Submit the Documentary describes the impact and outcomes of advanced technology and human nature in a lawless, new, social frontier.

Please share this video to anyone you think will greatly benefit it. Share it with your family and circle of friends. Discuss about bullying with your kids, and share stories of the parents in the documentary whose lives had changed drastically to your neighbors. Let’s talk about it more. This helps, too.

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